Insulating covering or sheathing for contact-rail conductors.



PATENTED DEG.17, 1901f W. H; BAKER, INSULATING COVERING OR SHEATHING FQRCONTACT RAIL GONDUGTORS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 19, 1905.

Attest: Inv ntor: zzzaw I A rm: NORRIS PETERS 0a.. WASHINGTON. n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BAKER, OF LOOKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF THBEE-FIFTHS TOJESSE PETERSON, OF LOCKPORT, NEW YORK.

INSULATING COVERING OR SI-EEATHING FOR CONTACT-RAIL CONDUCTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed October 19, 1905. Serial No. 283.889.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM H. BAKER, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in InsulatingCoverings or Sheathings for Contact-Rail Conductors, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and concise specification.

My invention relates to insulating or protective sheathings for contactrail conductors and more particularly to means for securely holding thesheathing to the rail in a manner permitting its being readily placedthereon or removed therefrom while the said rail is installed. in theroad-bed and without disturbing its mounting or requiring it to bedisconnected.

The invention aims primarily at simplicity and economy of constructionand application, and the particular features thereof are hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the accompanying claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents in sideelevation a portion of an ordinary contact rail as employed in modernunderground trolley street carservice, covered and protected by asheathing made according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is acrosssection thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross section of the sheathing as it ismade and before application to the rail.

The contact rail shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is the usual form of railcommonly employed in the underground conduits of street railway systemsand consists of a flat face 1, along which the contact member of the vehicle slides, two narrow side flanges 2, 2, at each margin thereof and astraight central web 3. This rail is commonly supported with the face 1in a vertical position being held on insulated supports by its centralweb. The sheathing for this form of contact rail conforms to the generalcontour thereof, as indicated in Fig. 2, and is made of some stifflyelastic material which is insulating as well as durable. I prefer toemploy a material which is made in strips or sheets of the fibers ofwood-pulp, jute or similar substance, which can be given its shape whilein a relatively pliable condition and can be subsequently hardened ortempered to retain that shape in the manner of a spring clip. In shapingthe strip of fibrous material, it is formed with contracted lateral or,in this case, vertical dimensions as shown in Fig. 3, so that when it istempered or hardened the sides or marginal portions 4, 4 thereof arerelatively closer together than they will be when applied to the rail,in which position they will embrace and clasp that portion of the raildesignated above as the side flanges 2, 2. The portions 5, 5 also bearresiliently against the sides of the central web 3.

The sheathing is formed in sections of apprtzIpriate length to beconveniently handled an each section is capable of being freely placedupon the rail or removed from it in a direction lateral thereto withoutrequiring any special tools or the removal or disconnection of the saidrail. The sheathing, moreover, is so proportioned as to its side ormarginal portions as to extend not quite up to the plane of the flatcontact face 1, so as to be free from contact with the passing trolleyshoes thereon. The inherent resilience or elasticity of the hardened ortempered fibers effects a clamping or clasping action upon the sides ofthe rail which is suflicient to retain the sheathing thereon under allordinary conditions. Such clasping efiect may, however, be augmented inspecial places by means of suitable metallic clamping keys K which areadapted to fit over the ends of the side flanges 2 and to be jammedinwardly into the space between that flange 2 and the web 3 as indicatedby the dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby pressing opposite sides of thesheathing closely against the rail. This form of key, it will beobserved, is located entirely on the exterior of the sheathing and,therefore, does not interfere with the insulating properties thereof.

Having described my invention I claim 1. The combination with a rail, ofan insulating sheath adapted to embrace the latter, a locking piece orkey clamping between portions of the rail with the sheath between therail and said key.

Fl 2. An insulating sheath for flanged contact rails formed of hardenedfibrous material conforming to a portion of the said rail and adapted toembrace the same, in combination with a metallic locking piece or keyadapted to be jammed between the flange covering portions of saidsheathing to press the same closely against the said flanges.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing 10 witnesses.

WILLIAM H. BAKER.

Witnesses: I A. EDMUND LEE, C. L. BATES.

